Thursday, February 27, 2014

As this card looks
better open than closed, I decided to photograph it that way.If the perspective is off, it may help to
know that I cut about an inch off the right side of the card front so that the plant
border on the inside would show. . .

. . . the problem was that the border’s
all-white ink overpowered the feathers. But not to worry:Copics to the rescue!A few dabs with a couple of brown and tan shades
and things calmed down and got a little more subtle.While I’m still not sure the card really
works, at least the Copics were an improvement . . .

The “Journey” theme
ties in with the clock faces embossed on the card front, while the message
inside – “A day at a time” – is a good reminder that Life takes time to unfold . . .

Monday, February 24, 2014

I thought the only annoying
thing about my camera was the fact that sparkle and shine rarely show up in my
photos.Now, I’ve another annoyance to
add to the list:Color Corruption!The phlox are actually purple – not the blue
that is pictured . . .

. . . OK, I guess this is a good time to use
your imagination.Think a rich dark
purple with a few mauve accents to match the butterfly . . . whose color reproduction
is accurate.Go figure . . .

Monday, February 17, 2014

It’s well into
February now and perhaps your New Year’s Resolution to build up your stash of
cards to have at the ready has begun to tank.So I’ll be blogging some more sympathy cards in hopes of giving you some
usable inspiration for this sensitive event.

As previously noted,
I do exercise more restraint for these sad occasions than is my usual
habit.I think the emphasis should be on
the event rather than on my artwork, so I keep the layout subtle and the embellishments
to a minimum.My aim is to arrive at something
that is soft, quiet, and showing as much loving kindness as I can manage.

Thursday, February 13, 2014

Some of the most-used
words during my rubber stamping pursuits are:“What would happen if I tried . . .”, followed immediately by journeys of
exploration and discovery.My first
attempt with this lovely stamp was to color it in with Pearl Ex and a Dove
Blender pen.This technique usually gets
me great results – however, not so this time.So, I queried, what would happen if
I just tried splotching around with some Distress Stains in a rather
non-determinant artsy-fartsy style?I found out . . .

After splotching, I
misted with water to blend just a bit, heat dried, and then without using any
ink, I sprinkled tiny pinches of White UTEE here and there and heated from
below so that the UTEE wouldn’t get blown off.I’m happy with the results which are completely out of my normal anal
comfort zone, and expect that there will be a good deal of splotching around in
my future!

Monday, February 10, 2014

Texture, texture,
texture . . . I can’t live without it!I
was a very small child when I first saw a picture of Rodin’s The Kiss in our family’s Encyclopedia
Britannica.Once I got past the idea
that I was looking at naked people, I absolutely flipped over the contrast in
textures between the smooth bodies and the rough base.Ever since, I have sought this contrast in
all of my work . . .

. . . of course, as a texture freak, there are
times when I use way more texture than smooth, as in this card.I do want people to have fun picking up my
cards and running their fingers over the surfaces.But texture needn’t always be tactile:visual texture can be very effectively achieved
by using a variety of patterns and colors.However, nothing beats touch in my book . . .

Thursday, February 6, 2014

I kinda went crazy
with dies on this one.I also took this
gorgeous metallic bronze cardstock and decided that some tone-on-tone layering
would be fun to do.So I did.

Trouble is, while
some of this cardstock’s outstanding appeal does show in the upper right area, most
of its textural, gleaming, hammered metal look is still stuck somewhere in the
bowels of my camera.Sorry, but you’ll
just have to trust me on this one . . . it’s actually quite lovely in real life
. . .

Monday, February 3, 2014

This card appeared in Paper Creations Winter
2013 issue and is one of the few I’ve done that I admit to liking without
reservation.Everything just seemed to
flow once I started on this layout and it easily came together without mishap.Don’t we wish that they all went that way?

The heart is actually two leaves stamped side
by side and I’m finding that this very small one dollar clear set from Memory
Keepers is one of the most useful sets I’ve ever bought.Containing just two sizes each of leaves and
pumpkins, I reach for the leaves countless times and never seem to tire of
them.

As for the bows, they’ve been trimmed down
from the original die cuts as their smaller sizes were a better fit for this
layout.Nowhere is it written that we
stampers can’t alter stuff as we see fit – indeed, this is one of the joys of
the hobby!Many a card has been saved by
a judicious slash-and-burn and this has also been helpful in getting me to see
various elements in newly useful ways.

Search This Blog

About Me

In 2000, I picked up a magazine with a funny name: RubberStampMadness. "What on earth is this?" I wondered, and began thumbing through it. By page 5, I had heart palpitations, was seriously hooked a few pages later, and have been happily addicted ever since. I am a retired TWA flight attendant and have stayed busy with several pursuits, but am happiest when I'm stamping. As a resident in the wilds of North NJ, we've got plenty of bears to deal with, but next to no stamping stores to play in. Hopefully, someone will recognize an opportunity and spring to our rescue. Meanwhile, I plan to stay connected to the stamping world at large via my blog. Welcome to my world - please do come in!
~~Full Disclosure:
Currently, I have no commercial interests and am receiving zip in the way of payments, products, services, fame or fortune from any of the companies who manufacture the products I recommend. When I am enthusiastic about a tool or other stamping-related product, I love passing along my happy experiences with it to my readers. However, blogging can open up new opportunities: should I become interested in participating remuneratively, you will find out about it here first.